3 Fat-Loss Mistakes Keeping Women Over 40 Stuck

🎙️ Welcome to Fit in Your 40s Podcast

Many women in midlife feel like they’re doing everything right — eating less, working out more, trying to stay disciplined — yet the scale refuses to move.

In this episode, we break down the three biggest fat-loss mistakes women over 40 are making that are actually slowing down metabolism and making weight loss harder.

Midlife fat loss is not about doing more. It’s about doing the right things for your changing hormones, metabolism, and recovery needs.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why chronic calorie restriction can slow metabolism and lead to overeating later in the day
• How doing the wrong workouts can spike cortisol and lead to the “skinny fat” effect
• Why hormones, stress, and sleep play a major role in midlife fat loss
• How to adjust your nutrition, workouts, and recovery to support your body after 40

We also discuss the mindset shift women need in midlife: fat loss is no longer about eating less and doing more — it’s about training smarter, fueling your body properly, and prioritizing recovery.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Free Fiber Guide
(One of the most overlooked nutrients for metabolism, gut health, and midlife weight loss)
👉 https://vip.becomefitforever.com/freebie-fiber

Free Nutrition Audit
Send us a full day of eating and we’ll review it and give you personalized feedback on what may be slowing down your metabolism.
👉 https://calendly.com/hellobestie/bffaudit

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Transcript

0:03

Hey Vati, welcome to Get Fit in your forties, where we get real about our own journeys and how we have helped thousands of women figure out why would work in their twenties isn't cutting it anymore. We are your host, Dukie and Ksr, your fitness VF Fs, here to help you navigate losing weight and getting healthier in your forties and beyond. Let's get into it. Welcome back to another episode of Get Fit in Your forties. If you are new here, I'm CoStar co-founder of Be Comfort Forever with my best friend Dki, where we help women over 40, lose fat, build strength, and actually feel good in their bodies again without doing any extremes. This podcast is where we shed light on the most important topics women in midlife are dealing with That nobody really explains clearly, like hormones, metabolism, muscle loss, and we bring in amazing guests to shed light on these topics as well, because midlife isn't the problem. It's just a different season and it requires a different strategy. And today we're gonna be talking about three mistakes that women make in midlife that is stopping them from making progress in their forties and beyond. So without further ado, let's dive in. The very first mistake that I see a lot of women make is not eating enough, being too restrictive. I feel like that is a generational pattern or a generational problem because from very young age, we were told to eat less and move more. Eat less of the things you love. Eat less dessert, eat less rice, eat less fats, and you know, I've heard some even crazy stuff to be quite honest So we, it's something that could work in a perfectly running metabolism in a body of a 20-year-old, but for a 40-year-old, that doesn't work. so the most common patterns that I see with women in midlife is that they're skipping breakfast. They're using coffee as a meal. They're going for like a light. Salad for lunch. They're eating a very clean dinner, and that puts them in a very chronic caloric deficit for months or years. And they think that if I consistently eat less, I'll eventually lose weight. That logic worked when you were 25. It does not work the same at 45 years old. And so here's what's happening. Your metabolism starts to adapt downwards because our bodies are really smart. Our body's doing anything and everything to save us So it senses low energy intake over time. So what it does is it starts reducing resting metabolic rate, non-essential energy output, and thyroid conversion efficiency. And so you start burning fewer calories at rest. That means your body, your internal functions are getting less and less over time, and that's called metabolic adaptation. So your body just got itself used to eating less and burning less. At 40 women are more stress sensitive due to hormonal shifts Estrogen and progesterone fluctuations during perimenopause change how your nervous system handles the stress. So when you undereat, your body perceives it as a stressor, so the cortisol level rises even more. Your blood sugar becomes harder to regulate, and so. Elevated cortisol levels are directly linked to abdominal fat storage. And it starts to break down muscle And it eventually increases cravings because your body needs quick source of energy to survive and to function, and that's why you feel sluggish. You feel like you have more cravings at times you feel like you're getting skinny fat, like, you know, the flabby skin and all of that stuff. So, so the very thing you're doing to lose fat is actually signaling your body to hold onto it. And why is this the worst approach for women over 40? Because when estrogen fluctuates, it affects your insulin sensitivity. And when progesterone declines your sleep and stress tolerance and muscle mass naturally declines, if not protected. So if you are under eating. Under recovering or over training, you create the perfect storm for slow metabolism, higher fast storage, lower energy, and more cravings. And guess what happens? That midnight craving hits and you start to overeat because your body just needs those extra calories. Sometimes you resist, but sometimes you just give in and you start overeating, and then that cycle continues. The cycle of restriction, overeating, and starting all over again. And this is the biggest metabolism disruptor in midlife because every time you restrict harder, you increase your stress load. So now what is something that you should be doing instead? Instead of thinking I need to save calories, focus on, I need to eat. The right types of calories. So have a little mindset shifts. we need to change some of the patterns that we've been thinking and internalizing for so long. And please check out the first episode of season three, where I talk a ton about mindset, But instead, what we're gonna do is we're going to shift our mindset from I'm going to save calories to, I'm going to eat the right kind of calories in order to lose weight sustainably. So eating within 60 to 90 minutes of waking, making sure that every meal that you eat has at least 25 to 35 grams of. Protein and making sure that you are creating a plate that is balanced between your protein, fiber, and healthy fats, and you're making sure that you're eating consistently. Don't get too hung up on the fact that, oh, I need to track. I need to be perfect. I need to eat once a day or twice a day. I need to fast. Eat three meals and a snack and focus on protein and fiber at every single meal. And what that's going to do is that's going to help you stabilize your blood sugar. It's gonna stabilize your cortisol, and it's gonna stabilize your energy because protein and fiber, that combination is just going to help you. With your sustainable weight loss in the long run. If you need a guide for high fiber and high protein meals, make sure to check out the show notes. Alright, my mistake number two is doing the wrong workouts. This one surprises me every time because we have been talking about this for so long. Women in their forties right now. Again, it's a very generational thing. We were told that you need to move more. You need to sweat more in order to see results. If you are doing too much HIT training, if you're doing a lot of jumping and running. Too much of that cardio is not allowing you to boost your metabolism, and it's not allowing you to build the muscle. And muscle is the most important tissue that you need right now in midlife because after the age of 40, we lose muscle mass due to Sarco Pan. And so if you're not building muscles, you're losing muscles. And so doing a HIIT training or a running program or a crazy cardio four to five days a week and doing like random workouts and sweating a lot that. May burn calorie for that time being, but you'll have so much cravings later on that you'll compensate for those calories immediately. But that doesn't mean that you are losing body fat. actually those workouts are backfiring because when you do high intensity training, it spikes your cortisol. And we just talked about cortisol is one of those, hormones that we need to pay really close attention to and chronic stress actually breaks down muscles. And so when you are losing muscle already due to sarcopenia and you're affecting that muscle loss even more by slowing your metabolism with eating less. So high density training spikes your cortisol and high stress actually breaks down your muscles also. So you're also losing muscle mass due to sarcopenia because of your age, and you're losing muscle mass because you're not doing the right workouts and you're not fueling your body. And so lower metabolism equals lower fat loss, you might lose some water weight, but that's going to leave you skinny fat, right? You feel inflamed, you feel drained, you feel low energy. You are like, no, but I'm losing weight. I'm okay. But the reality is that you don't feel strong. You don't feel toned. And so what do you do instead? You're going to have a strategic strength training plan that's going to help you boost your metabolism. What that's gonna look like is two to three days of structured strength training, and that has to be, why do I call it structure? Because you cannot be picking random videos on YouTube. It has to be strategically created for you And always focusing on progressive overload. in simple words, if you're doing workouts with five pound dumbbell, the week after, you're expected to go a little bit higher, a little bit higher, until you've reached that point of like the max capacity where you're lifting weights and your body is actually. Feeling sore the next day. That's called the progressive overload and making sure that you're also walking eight to 10,000 steps. What that does is that digest your food, that keeps your insulins balanced. it protects you from those blood sugar spikes and cravings and. Try to reduce your HIT training or your running or your cardio, your program, very minimal. If you truly love it, then of course you can do it, but we recommend that you just focus on stretch training and walking. So this kind of training program is going to energize you. That is not going to drain you. And it's also the fact that you're lifting weight, you're building muscle mass, and the more muscle you have, since the muscle is the most expensive tissue in your body, your body works a lot harder to keep and maintain all your beautiful muscles. So you're continuously burning fat to maintain your muscle. So guess what? When you are resting, you're still losing weight. All right. Last but not least, this one is going to surprise you. It is about ignoring. Hormones and recovery. Yes, I said it. You are not paying attention to your stress levels. You are not paying attention to your sleep, and you're not paying attention to your midlife hormonal shifts. Those are the biggest. And the strongest, but the silent driver of your weight loss after the age of 40. So So the first hormone is estrogen. The estrogen fluctuation causes. Insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and it also dictates where the fat will be storage, and that's primarily in your abdomen area. Progesterone also declines over time, and it impacts sleep quality, stress tolerance, and making you feel more wired, anxious, and tired. So your cortisol levels are high due to drop in progesterone. And so what happens is when your cortisol levels are always. Elevated, your fat storage increases, especially around the belly. Your muscle recovery decreases. Your cravings for quick carbs are high, and your energy becomes unstable, and so you cannot out diet a poor sleep. You cannot out-train a chronic stress. And so recovery at this age matters more than what are the efforts that you're putting in in order to make that we weight loss happen? So muscle growth, hormone regulation, and metabolic repair all happen during. Recovery, not doing your workout. Think about it. When you are lifting weights, you are making micro tears in your muscle fibers. And so when you go home and you eat that protein or you drink that protein shake and you rest at night, that's when those muscle fibers are going to get repair with the start, you start creating, new muscles. And so all of these functions are happening when you're recovering. in midlife, your margins for stress shrinks, so recovery becomes a fat loss requirement. And I know that this is the age where we are being hit with a lot of obligations, our jobs or careers. You're at the peak of your career right now. You're probably trying to save for your retirement, or maybe you're dealing with spousal problems, or you're having teenage kids, or kids are off to college or whatever all the stresses are. those will. Always burden you, but you have to prioritize yourself. Otherwise you're going to let yourself go completely. So instead, you're going to create a routine that is going to have a lot of recovery built into it, as well as, the nutritional and the exercise part. Daily walks is proven that it actually lowers your cortisol, it improves insulin sensitivity and it supports fat burning without adding extra stress into your body. So if you are working from home, just have a walking pad and. Keep walking on it, and that's just the easiest way to keep that blood flowing and keep you balanced. strength training is another way to keep those hormones in check and, sleep. this one is very important because we leave a lot of the important tasks for nighttime, and that is the recipe for disaster. So make sure that you're tackling all the important tasks and projects during the day. So at night you're winding down and you're getting a really good. seven to eight hour sleep. If you need supplements, you can consult with your doctor, but we recommend taking zinc and magnesium supplements at night, right after dinner. Maybe a little bit of melatonin if you're having a hard time falling asleep. protecting your sleep is really, really important. And managing stress, Your nervous system state determines your metabolic state, and so if you're constantly in a fight or flight mode, you're constantly in. Spike cortisol moments in your life, what that's gonna do is that's going to block fat loss. And not only that, it's going to affect your mood and energy and your relationships and your work and your productivity. So make sure that you are finding ways to take nice deep breaths, maybe talk to a friend or whatever way that you find that you can manage your stress the best you do that. And of course, eating enough protein and fiber, all of those things will support in helping you stabilize your blood sugar and stabilize a healthy estrogen levels. And keep your metabolism up so you can continue to lose weight and stay healthy in your midlife and above. I am going to close off this episode by giving you a few mindset shifts because it's very important that we train our mind into a newer way of thinking because fat loss in year twenties is not the same as fat loss In your forties. It's. Mostly about longevity. It's about balancing your insulin levels. It's about balancing your stress levels. While in your twenties you could just do a quick diet and you would still lose the weight. So a couple of mindset shifts fat loss in your twenties was eat less, move more. Fat loss in your forties is lift smart. Recover smart, and fuel smart. It's not about discipline anymore, it's about the right strategy. It's not about doing the extremes anymore. It's about having sustainability and a sustainable way to keep your energy. fat loss in your forties is about building a metabolism that works for you in a long run. And so some of the major takeaways from this episode is that stop chronic calorie restriction. I need you to come out of that. I need to eat less, less, less mindset into having the right eating Strategy. Number two is to prioritize strength training over. Cardio. And number three is treat your sleep and stress like it is one of your fat loss pillars. Number four is muscle is your midlife insurance policy. Make sure to preserve it and take good care of it and build it and strengthen it as much as can. And number five is your body needs safety in order to release fat. So make sure that you have decompressing moments. Make sure you have time to breathe. Make sure that you have time for yourself besties, because at the end of the day, we can get a lot of things done, but it's gonna cost us our entire health, and that's not what we want for you. And if this episode felt like we are describing you, we are offering something that can really help you. We're offering free nutrition audit for a limited number of women. If you are interested, make sure to check out the show notes below. There's a link so you can book your nutrition audit time with us and this was it for today. Thank you so much for tuning in, and I'll talk to you in the next episode.